


Paint the sky in shades of red and fairytale white

by Irrelevantrelevancy



Series: Paint The Sky [1]
Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Angst, Boys In Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:27:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25960576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irrelevantrelevancy/pseuds/Irrelevantrelevancy
Summary: This was a day to remember. They were all freshly eighteen--well, almost all. Race wouldn’t be turning eighteen until the beginning of November but that couldn’t,wouldn’t and didn’t stop him from doing whatever he wanted, much to the chagrin of Spot. And Jack’s starry eyed eighteen had worn off a while ago, he was due to be nineteen in a month give or take. So it was more the feeling of being eighteen that stayed
Relationships: David Jacobs/Jack Kelly, Sarah Jacobs/Katherine Plumber Pulitzer, Spot Conlon/Racetrack Higgins
Series: Paint The Sky [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891075
Comments: 8
Kudos: 34





	Paint the sky in shades of red and fairytale white

**Author's Note:**

> This ended up being way longer than anticipated but I hope you enjoy

This was a day to remember. They were all freshly eighteen--well, almost all. Race wouldn’t be turning eighteen until the beginning of November but that couldn’t,wouldn’t and didn’t stop him from doing whatever he wanted, much to the chagrin of Spot. And Jack’s starry eyed eighteen had worn off a while ago, he was due to be nineteen in a month give or take. So it was more the feeling of being eighteen that stayed. Davey’s parents were finally laying off a bit and Medda was a bit more lenient with the curfews and the overnight trips. That led to sleepovers at the Jacobs and random drives into the city, this summer was honestly one to remember. They had their senior trip,their senior prom and they were all proud graduates with college on the brain.

But it was coming to a close. It was the final days of summer, mid August. The scorching sun had gradually shifted for cloudy, mild days and rain. That made Davey especially happy, he loved cloudy days. He loved finally being able to sit outside and enjoy it, he always got a bit cranky because of the heat. And Jack, well he was so head over heels that he loved everything that Davey loved simply because he loved it so passionately. He loved the way Davey sat in the grass,draped in one of his sweaters, looking around at the world like it was finally a place where he belonged. He loved the gentle look his eyes took on that was only reserved for Les and baby animals. He loved seeing Davey smile and well, look his age. Not the class president,not the head of every damn club that didn’t involve a sport--even though he kicked ass at soccer--not as the step in parent who took over when his folks were so tired they were dead on their feet. No, none of that. He didn’t like seeing David, he liked seeing  _ Davey _ . Davey whose body was equal parts coffee and water,who mumbled equations in his sleep,who always seemed to kiss a little too rough when he got excited--hell, the Davey whose first instinct was to kiss  _ him _ when he got excited! The Davey who showed up at his house this morning soaked to the bone asking if he wanted to have a picnic. And Jack laughed, he laughed because who does that? It was pouring non-stop but when Davey got that look in his eye, that little bit of crazy mixed determination, he got what he wanted.

And god did he get what he wanted, and a little more than he bargained for because Race was sitting in the living room and had overheard. Before Jack could say no, Race was already on his feet,stumbling into the hallway to pull on a pair of shoes. And fine, one extra person was  _ fine _ , Race was usually well behaved. That was until Spot had come waltzing down the stairs,wearing Race’s dance hoodie with a cup of coffee in hand. Then Jack had a new problem, Spot had stayed the  _ night _ ? His mind was reeling, he narrowed his eyes at Race and tried his best to articulate that this is something they would definitely be talking about when they got home. Then he took a step outside,directly into the pouring rain and screamed. A bellowing scream that never seemed to stop and echoed off of the other houses in the neighborhood. Because what the hell? Race, his little brother,his built in best friend was having boys over? In his room? And oh god, was Charlie there--

“Babe”Davey said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. His mind fell still, in the most pathetic way possible, it grew stark still. The only thing he could focus on was that Davey was touching him,and Davey’s other hand was on his cheek, and his face was in Davey’s chest and when he breathed in he just smelled Davey. He smelled like the library he worked at and Dunkin Donuts coffee, the caramel swirl one he’d been raving about. And Davey’s hand was rubbing his back, and his lips were so close to his ear that Jack shuddered when he breathed.

“It’s okay”Davey said, “Race is a big boy now, you gotta let go”

But it was hard to let go, they both knew that. He couldn’t get over the conditioned thought that he was all that Race had, that Race depended on him. He couldn’t get the thoughts of sharing his bed in the orphanage because nightmares used to rack his small helpless body, God Race used to be so small. It was the same with Charlie, and he was a hypocrite. He wants Davey to slow down and take a break, but he couldn’t do the same for himself. He hadn’t realized his knees had gone weak until they were both lowered to the ground. It happened, they both knew it happened sometimes. Jack would get so angry and overwhelmed that his brain would just short circuit, and then in a flash he wouldn’t be able to hold himself up. Sometimes he’d fall, sometimes he’d faint.

But just because it was known, didn’t make it suck any less.

“You’re okay”Davey soothed, pulling him into his lap. “You’re not back at the refuge, it’s August 14th, the year is 2019 and we’re in upstate New York so we’re far far away from that place”

“Synder’s not gonna get Cru-Charlie?”he stammered.

“Snyder has been in jail since Medda adopted you three”Davey said, “No Snyder,no cops,no nothing. You and the boys are all safe here”

“We’re all safe here”He repeated.

“Yeah”Davey hummed, rubbing his arms. “We’re all safe here”

They sat outside huddled in Medda’s driveway until Jack’s brain came floating back to him and he laughed. It startled Davey a bit, but his lip pulled up in a grin.

“What’s so funny?”Davey asked.

“It’s just-”He cut himself off with a snicker, “ ‘m a real train wreck, Davey. We’re both sittin’ out here in Medda’s driveway, ‘m cryin, tell me this isn’t straight out of a teen drama”

“I-”Davey went to protest, but cut himself short.

“Exactly”He snorted, “It’s just funny because it’s so cinematic!”he continued, “The rain hittin the driveway,a handsome boy comforting me, it’s perfect”

“Jack…”Davey said wearily.

“And the script”He said, putting a hand to his chest. “Absolutely genius”

“I-I’m just doing what your therapist said will help”Davey stammered. And Jack’s eyes went starry again because how could anyone get any more perfect. The fact that Davey was even open to going with Jack made his heart beat faster.

“I know”He said, “And you did everything right, baby. Brought me right back to earth. It’s just...you know me and my humor, it makes me feel better. I just found this funny because of how fairytale it seemed…”   


And Davey, always the one to surprise brought one of Jack’s hands to his lips and kissed it gently. “You deserve fairytale, Jack” another kiss, “I’ll try to be the best prince I can for you”

“You already are the best,”He said.

“Then I'll be the greatest,”Davey said, those hazel eyes filled to the brim with determination and something else.

“Yeah?”He said.

“Yeah”Davey said, pecking his cheek. “Which is why once we get into some dry clothes, we’re gonna have a picnic”

“I ain’t never had a picnic”He said.

“Well there’s a first time for everything”Davey said.

“Yeah”He said, but his smirk was lethal. “That’s exactly what you said the first time you-”

“I can’t hear you over the sound of me walking inside”

* * *

A million innuendos later the two finally made it inside. The sound of the door opening once again must have summoned Race because he came sprinting from the kitchen, apron around his waist.

“Jack I-oh”He said, blue eyes wide. “Is this a bad time?”

Davey seemed to be the only one who could read a room because he placed a kiss on Jack’s cheek and mumbled, “I’ll be upstairs babe, you got this”

And thanks a lot Davey, because now Jack had to confront his problems. For the first minute or two him and Race just stared at each other, patiently waiting to see who would snap first. And as usual it was Jack. He sighed and motioned for them to sit on the couch. Once they were both seated, he spilled.

“You’re growing up”Jack blurted out, when Race tilted his head he elaborated. “You’re growing up and it freaked me out a bit, I’m sorry Racer”

“Why?”He asked, he looked uncomfortable, he  _ felt _ uncomfortable. His knees were pulled up to his chest tucked safely underneath his chin.

“Because I still remember when you was so small”Jack said, a slight catch in his voice. “So small and just..you know. I gotta realize you ain’t that small anymore, that you can take care of yourself. That Ma, will always have your back…”

“Come hell or high water”he finished, he remembered the first time Medda told them that. It always brought a smile to his face. God did he love Medda. 

There was a beat of silence.

“Did you…?”He asked.

“Yeah”Jack nodded, “Yeah, I freaked a bit, but it’s not your fault. You’re allowed to grow up, Race. I mean you’re almost eighteen! I can’t keep you on a tight leash your whole life because...because ‘m havin a hard time letting go, it ain’t right”

“So you’re not mad?”He said quietly. “About Spot stayin the night?”

“We still gotta talk about that”Jack said, giving him a look. “But I ain’t mad, just...try not to do shit with Charlie in the house!”

Race’s face went white. “Oh god, Charlie…”

“Yeah, oh god Charlie!”They heard shouted. They looked up the stairs to see Charlie standing over the banister with a grim look on his face. “Keep your antics to yourself, I’m tired!”

“It’s almost noon, Charlie!”Jack called back, “You know Ma don’t like you sleepin in!”

“What mama doesn’t know won’t hurt her!” with that there was a slamming of the door. Jack and Race both looked at each other and sighed. Though it made their hearts a little warm that he still called her Mama.

“This family is dysfunctional”Jack mumbled.

“Tell me about it”

* * *

“Where is this magical picnic taking place, Davey mine?”Jack asked, lazily slinging an arm over his boyfriend's shoulder. “We’re walking, you ain’t got no picnic basket and it’s  _ raining _ ”

“For once I agree with Jack”Spot grumbled, he was wearing one of Race’s rain coats but his shoes were soaked.

“Yeah, why didn’t we just take the car?”Race complained, “Both of you idiots can drive!”

“Because”Davey huffed, “It’s closer than you all think, and I don’t know about you but I actually care about the environment”

“You better stop there”Jack teased, “Once you get him goin, he won’t stop”

“Because it’s important,”Davey said, ignoring the blush in his cheeks. “So keep quiet, or so help me God I will turn us all around and go home”

“Fine, mom”Race said, rolling his eyes. “I’ll stop bitching about the fact that my boyfriend is literally  _ shaking- _ ”

“Racetrack-”

“Cause he’s got an iron deficiency-”

“ _ Racetrack- _ ”

“And it’s freezing out here!”Race exclaimed.

There it was, that signature Racetrack temper that would send anyone else running. But Davey wasn’t anyone, his eyes remained neutral and he nodded.

“We’re almost there” is all he said before shifting his gaze forward and lengthening his strides. With little more than a raised brow from Jack, he thought he was in the clear. It was wishful thinking because the minute those two lovebirds inevitably flew off to their own world, Spot was pulling him back. He waited for Jack and Davey to walk ahead a few steps before falling back into a leisurely pace.

“You know I don’t like when you do that”Spot said, his voice was even, unreadable. It made his own stomach twist itself into a pretzel. Race winced and twisted the ring on his pinky, he didn’t know what to say. Spot was right, they have spoken about this before, on  _ two _ different occasions. 

“I’m going to ask you something, and I don’t want you to lie to me,”Spot said.

“Anything,”He said, but his heart was already beating out of his chest.

“Have you been taking your medication?”

Race froze. Not literally as his feet were still moving, but his brain had drawn a blank. Of course Spot would notice a difference, Spot had been there since the beginning. He knew who Race used to be,how angry he got, and he knew what he was like now. His tense shoulders must have been answer enough because Spot sighed. It didn’t even seem intentional, but Race knew what sighs meant. 

It meant that Spot was disappointed. 

“I’m sorry”he said, he didn’t know what else to say. In a surprising gesture Spot took his hand in his and squeezed tightly. It might have been subtle to anyone else, but it meant the world to Race because Spot  _ hated _ PDA, any form of it.

“It doesn’t mean i’m gonna leave you or that I don’t love you anymore”Spot said quietly, “We can talk about this later, but just know i’m in it for the long haul. Boyfriend or best friend, i’m yours”

Leave it up to Spot Conlon, a man of few words to be able to make Race melt in a sentence.

“I love you too, Spotty”he said, “Love you so much”

“I love you more,”Spot said easily. Race simply shook his head and squeezed the hand that was shaking in his own.

“Impossible”he said, and he wanted to kiss him. He wanted to sweep Spot off his feet and kiss him right there in the rain, make the whole day a cliche. But he was working on his boundaries, and he was making good progress. Instead he opted to squeeze Spots hand on and off as they continued walking.

“Is it just me or does Davey have an extremely punchable face”he blurted out.

“Racer-”

“I promise I'm not gonna do anything!”He said quickly, “Honest, I like Davey, you know this! He just..he just really looks punchable.”

“You’re...you’re so violent, oh my god!”Spot laughed, it was sudden and  _ loud _ . Jack and Davey’s heads whipped back and Race was very confused.

“I know I am”He said slowly, “How is this news to anyone?”

“It’s not”Spot continued, “it’s just-god, you say some of the most random shit. I ain’t got a clue what goes on in your brain, but it’s a fucking gold mine!”

“Wait, I wanna laugh too!”Jack whined, “What’s so funny?”

Spot and Race shot each other a look and smirked, “You had to be there”

* * *

The group walked for what appeared to be forever but Davey was enjoying every second of it. Sure his parents had laid off a bit now that he was out of high school but they still had expectations, and one of those expectations was to bring Les with him wherever he went. He didn’t have any problems with Les, he was a sweet kid. But he didn’t necessarily want his little brother trailing along when he was trying to be sweet on Jack. And he usually felt guilty. If Les wasn’t with him then he was with Sarah and Katherine, he didn’t want to pin that on them either. But Les was getting older too, which meant the Jacobs finally caved and let him go to summer camp. All summer long, June to August. That’s what dreams were made of. Davey looked into the distance and saw that the little canopy he set up an hour prior was still there. He leaned forward and squinted, making sure the people who were supposed to be watching it were still there too. Race was the first to catch on.

“Is that where we’re going?”He asked.

“It is”Davey grinned. The last thing he was expecting was Race to take off like a shot in the direction of the canopy,hood of his raincoat falling off his head and soaking his curls. He shook his head at the blonde but he was pleased. If it was Racetrack approved, then it would work for everyone. Spot shot him a withering look and without a word started jogging after his boyfriend, barely keeping up. Davey wanted to laugh, he wasn’t called Racetrack for nothing.

“You did this for me, baby?”Jack asked, his eyes soft.

“All for you,”Davey all but melted. And he couldn’t help it! All his life he had been so factual,such a realist, his feet never once left the ground. Davey liked his facts, he didn’t like to wonder,didn’t like what he couldn’t see. So he was hard to befriend. He wasn’t accepted by many of the other kids because he didn’t see the point in playing pretend when they could play with the number blocks right in front of them. Didn’t see the point in coloring the sky red when it was supposed to be blue. That was until a little boy with two front teeth missing and big green eyes came up to him and asked if he wanted to play. Davey had said no, multiple times, but this boy was persistent, said they could play whatever Davey wanted. And that’s how Davey taught Jack how to do multiplication in first grade. Jack had been one of the few to burst his way into Davey’s life. He was the one to show him that the sky could be red sometimes if he used his imagination, that they could be pirates in space even though they didn’t leave the sandbox. But most of all, he didn’t try to change him, and didn’t ask for anything in return but a friend. So how could Davey not melt?

“You’re lookin at me funny”Jack said, with a nervous chuckle. “And we’re here, I mean we’re all just waitin for you to-”

“I love you”Davey blurted out. His heart fell to his ass the minute he said it, but it felt right. Jack’s jaw dropped. No, it didn’t just drop. It unhinged itself completely from his face and flew away. He was gaping.

“I-I’m sorry?”Jack coughed, pounding his chest. “Can you repeat that? Cause it sounded like you said-”

“I love you, Jack Kelly”Davey said firmly. “I love you and I’m in love with you and...and thank you for showing me that the sky can be red”

“I-what are you talkin about Davey?”Jack stammered. Davey grabbed his hand and pulled gently so they could sit down. He was vaguely aware that they had an audience, but they didn’t matter, because all he could see was Jack.

“When we met in the first grade, you were the only one who tried to be my friend”Davey started, “And I pretty much hated you for it, cause I thought you were going to leave. But you were so patient with my know-it-all annoying self and let me teach you multiplication and read those little chapter books because it was what  _ I _ liked to do, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember,”Jack said, his lips pulled up in a smile. “Junie B. Jones, right?”

“Right”Davey grinned, “You let me sit there and show off all day everyday, but you also taught me how to be creative. I remember getting so mad at you because you were coloring the sky red, and I was ranting about how the sky should be blue because that’s what it looked like and you-”He stifled a laugh “You just looked at me and said ‘who cares? It’s just a color’”

“Very on brand”Race muttered. 

Davey ignored him and squeezed Jack’s hand. “No one had ever said anything like that to me before at that point. Every adult just agreed with me and praised me for being ‘so smart’, but you took me down a peg and challenged my thinking. I went home that day thinking about how it was just a color-”   


“Wait”Jack said, his eyes wide. “I fucking remember that now! I also remember you colored the sky green in school the next day and-”

“-And I was so excited to show you, and you said-”

“-I said it looks pretty Davey, and I liked it because it was green-”

“-like your eyes”Davey finished, the two were practically nose to nose. “This has been a long time comin, Kelly. I love you because you’re my best friend, and i’m in love with you because you make me want to be better everyday”

“I love you”Jack whispered, bringing a hand up to cup Davey’s cheek. “I love you, Davey. I...this is hard for me, really fucking hard. Kids like me don’t get fairytale”   


“No, they don’t”Davey chuckled, blinking away a tear. “But they deserve it, and you deserve it”

“You really are my prince”Jack grinned, “My prince Davey”

Davey brought his own hand up and tapped Jack’s ring finger. “And one day i’ll make you a Prince too. I’m in this for as long as you want me”

“What if I want you forever?”

“Then i’ll stay forever”

“Can you please, kiss already!’Katherine exclaimed, breaking through the veil of privacy. “I mean honestly, we’re all waiting for it!”

Davey laughed and pulled Jack closer, but he dodged the kiss. The green eyed boy turned to face the group and wiped his own tears. “We don’t do that kind of stuff on command  _ or _ for free!”

Davey shook his head and instead pulled Jack into his lap, he needed to keep his boy close.

As Katherine and Sarah gushed over the speech, Spot and Race sat on their own corner of the picnic blanket grinning like fools.

“How do I feel like a proud parent and he’s not my kid?”Race sniffled, wiping his face with his shirt.   


“I don’ know,”Spot said, rubbing his eyes. “It’s them creative writing courses, makin Davey a fuckin poet”

“God, why aren’t we romantic like them?”Race said.

“Because we wouldn’t know how to act”Spot snorted. “I called you babe  _ once _ and you laughed at me for two hours”

“Because it was funny!”Race defended. 

“We were in front of my friends!”

“It’s not my fault you said it!”   


“They clowned me about it for  _ weeks!” _

“Well maybe we’re just not built for PDA mushy stuff”Race said, crinkling up his nose. “But I still love you, Spotty”

“I love you more, ‘Track”Spot said. “One day i’ll get some balls and do somethin about it”

“Oh Spotty, you’re askin me to marry y-” his cry of joy was cut off by a hand being clamped over his mouth.

“This, this is why we don’t do romance”

* * *

Once the excitement died down, Katherine and Sarah had just decided to stay. There was more than enough food to go around, and they both couldn’t stop trying to one up each other with who had more embarrassing memories of the boys. So yes, this was a day to remember. With college-and now  _ love _ on the brain, it was something that couldn’t be forgotten. Both brothers sat side by side trying to figure out how they had gone from angst ridden lost causes, to romantics with bright and shiny futures just waiting for them. The very nature of it was fairytale, two boys who seemed to have all the odds against them ending up with the partners of their dreams.

So yes, it was fairytale. But everyone deserves a little bit of fairytale, especially the ones who least expect it.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this please leave a comment because it means a lot :)


End file.
